New Siemens Pure 7BX

@Doc_Jake said:

You are either very confused or your AuD is.

I reckon both! I’m the first client of my audiologist to have this model so to be fair he has admitted I’m a bit of a guinea pig. However, we’ll persevere.

@Demiles said:

I’m not sure I understand what you mean by each aid can only have one program. Are you referring to the rocker switch program? The aids can have up to 6 programs I believe, changeable with the rocker switch if programmed to do so, the Touch Control app or easytek or easytek app. The touch control app has the ability to turn off the aids, change programs, adjust volume, and change bass/treble bias. I find the Touch control app very useful especially for turning them off and adjusting volume. There’s no doubt that the universal program can handle nearly all situations if setup correctly, it’s all I’ve used and feel no need to have others.

Yes, I didn’t explain it correctly - I meant the aids can control just two functions, one in each aid. As mentioned, I have one aid set to change programs, of which there are six. Rasmus_braun has also explained that as well, the audiologist can setup the aids to be turned on/off via the rocker switch, so I’ll get that done next week. The only other feature I’m unsure about is the Spatial Configurator - it seems to cancel itself after about 45 minutes. Also, it seems to only apply to the Universal program - I would prefer if it could be applied to the Noisy Environment program too.

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@dougy said:

The only other feature I’m unsure about is the Spatial Configurator - it seems to cancel itself after about 45 minutes. Also, it seems to only apply to the Universal program - I would prefer if it could be applied to the Noisy Environment program too.

What you’re describing is normal behavior. The Spatial Configurator Span will switch back to the Universal program if the noise level drops significantly or after a period of 45 minutes. And it can only be used in the Universal program.

I am coming from Phonak Nadia and 35 years of hearing aids from analog to digital. Prior to these Binax series, I could not use RIC aids, since they would not accommodate my profound hearing loss. My ear canal would not accommodate the most powerful receiver and I need enclosed molds, not cones. So Siemens made the molds with the next size down receiver and they are ample for my loss. I have friends with less loss that were very happy going from tubes to RIC, but it was not meant to be until these came out. I am quite technically proficient, so got the easyTek and the phone app. I had the Bluetooth loop with my Phonak’s mainly for the phone.

So, after two days and only one tuning, these aids are a significant step up. The HTC One phone does everything with the app, including turning off ambient noise while on the phone if desired. The easyTek app is excellent and intuitive if you are used to smartphone apps. The only think you give up without the easyTek (using the audio control rather than Bluetooth) is speed of response and the spatial configurator. Once you master the spatial configurator in a noisy restaurant, and I have only tried it once, you will want to have it. Kind of like computers and phones, technology evolves and it cost a fortune to keep up with it, but this is the best money I spend.

Now my wife is talking too loud and she says I am at last not yelling at her. Tammy Wynette sounds pretty good again. Getting old is not for sissies, and the cataracts are next.

@rasmus_braun said:

What you’re describing is normal behavior. The Spatial Configurator Span will switch back to the Universal program if the noise level drops significantly or after a period of 45 minutes. And it can only be used in the Universal program.

I’ve now virtually completed my trial period with the Pure 700bx. Overall they are excellent, great volume range, easyTek is brilliant, T-Coil loop , audio transmission, and Bluetooth are also great. I have just one niggling irritation - the “Spatial Configurator” (read directional sound focus function) is a wonderful development - but Siemens chose to partly cripple it. It cancels itself if the sound environment changes, or after approximately 45 minutes. So in a restaurant you have to re-enable it occasionally. Also, it is confined to the Universal program - imagine the double benefit if they allowed the user to apply it to the “Noisy Environment” program. So the concept is brilliant, but the designers have prevented the user from controlling it, thus limiting its usefulness.

I understand that Phonak have a similar function in their latest aids, but they allow the user to decide when to turn off their version of sound focus. However I can’t afford to change horses in mid-stream now.

Having got that off my chest, I heartily recommend the Pure 700bx and will put up with the Spatial Configurator limitations.
dougy.

@dougy said:

I have just one niggling irritation - the “Spatial Configurator” (read directional sound focus function) is a wonderful development - but Siemens chose to partly cripple it. It cancels itself if the sound environment changes, or after approximately 45 minutes. So in a restaurant you have to re-enable it occasionally. Also, it is confined to the Universal program - imagine the double benefit if they allowed the user to apply it to the “Noisy Environment” program. So the concept is brilliant, but the designers have prevented the user from controlling it, thus limiting its usefulness.

Spatial Configurator is intended to be used as a temporary override of the automatic system. It lets you change the microphone mode from omnidirectional all the way to Narrow Directionality. But Narrow Directionality is already the default setting for the Noisy Environment program, so Spatial Configurator would be redundant if were available in that program. If you’re in a restaurant, just switch to the Noisy Environment program and it won’t drop out.

@pclewis said:

Getting old is not for sissies, and the cataracts are next.

A walk in the park. Laser surgery for both, took a cab home alone both times.

IMO, stay away from the bi-focal lenses. Not perfected yet, IMO.

dougy, if by programming the hearing aids, you mean the rocker arm functions, your audi is incorrect in saying each side can only be programmed to do one thing. Check your manual and you will see what I mean. I had my HA rocker switches programmed as such:
RIGHT side: volume (quick clicks) AND programs (longer, 1 sec clicks) AND on/off (very long clicks)
LEFT side: spatial configurator (quick clicks) AND power on/off (very long clicks)

I printed out the check list from the manual and indicated what I wanted. The audi set the HAs up just like I wanted. Note that if you set one of your HA rocker arms to control the spatial configurator (SC), you don’t have to use the phone app. Just be sure all notification tones are turned on so you get some feedback from the HAs to let you know if they have responded and where they are in the settings (e.g., SC beeps once for up/down change, but plays a multi tone when you reach max or min dispersal settings).

Hope this helps

Thanks Fred, I am doing plain lenses and will wear glasses. I came to the same conclusion as you. Hey, I have had them on for 70 years. I am +2.0 on the bifocal, but I will probably now move to progressive.

@atnbirdie said:

dougy, if by programming the hearing aids, you mean the rocker arm functions, your audi is incorrect in saying each side can only be programmed to do one thing. Check your manual and you will see what I mean. I had my HA rocker switches programmed as such:
RIGHT side: volume (quick clicks) AND programs (longer, 1 sec clicks) AND on/off (very long clicks)
LEFT side: spatial configurator (quick clicks) AND power on/off (very long clicks)

I printed out the check list from the manual and indicated what I wanted. The audi set the HAs up just like I wanted. Note that if you set one of your HA rocker arms to control the spatial configurator (SC), you don’t have to use the phone app. Just be sure all notification tones are turned on so you get some feedback from the HAs to let you know if they have responded and where they are in the settings (e.g., SC beeps once for up/down change, but plays a multi tone when you reach max or min dispersal settings).

Hope this helps

Hi atnbirdie, Thanks for the heads-up. It transpired that my audio didn’t implement the Spatial Configurator direct on the HA’s since I was using the easyTek app. he has now set up the Spatial Configurator on one aid, the other has volume, program, and on/off.

I am now totally happy with the whole setup - these Pure 700bx aids are excellent compared to the Pure 700’s. Especially the wider volume range, wireless transmitter for TV, vastly improved microphone on the easyTek (for mobile phone), T-Coil loop program for church and concerts, even the wired connection from my PC speaker headphone socket, for listening to youtube videos. dougy

My impression of the Siemens Pure 7bx

Hi,

as I´ve tested the same aid, I´ll add my impressions to this thread.

This was the first hearing aid I ever tried, and thus the settings were made very “mild”. My audi used the “binax fit” formula. If you´re interested in formulae: Even though my hearing loss is quite “linear” sloping down, the amplification that is calculated by this formula is more like a “hill”, amplifying the mids and higher mids, but not much above 4 or 5 kHz.

In their ads, Siemens stress the fact that this aid is especially good in noisy situations, also in speech-in-speech situations. My impression was and is: They are really that good. I have the impression that the processor in this aid really recognizes speech. In not so noisy situations, it does what every HA does: amplifies lost frequencies. But in noisy situations, it cuts out the speech, ampliefies it and discards the rest, and it even knows who´s speaking to you (and it usually does this right, in contrast to the speech in 360° by phonak, which is - in my experience - not always right!). The sound in noisy situations thus becomes more “artificial”, but I think that´s ok, you know then that the aid is doing work for you.

Also very good is the sense of direction, I had the impression that I know very precisely where sounds are coming from.

Also very nice sounding is music IF IT IS NOT TOO LOUD! This applies to recorded music (with a hearing loss you usually won´t cranc up the volume too much anyway) and to live music, if you don´t sit in the front row or - even worse - are at the conductor´s spot.

To cut the long story a bit shorter: Every effort, including contacting a siemens tech, failed to make the distortion (clipping, in this case) go away.

Otherwise I´d buy this HA for sure, because speech in speech noise is very hard to tackle, and the 7 bx does this outstandingly.

The overall sound of the siemens is crisp and clear, crisper than widex, not as sharp as phonak (this is, of course, highly subjective). I think that every one who has lots of speech - in - noise or even speech-in-speech-noise situations should try this aid.

Does anyone know if Apple Live Listen can work with the siemens EasyTek bluetooth streamer? The support document and pages are sparse and tech support at Siemens surprisingly does not know. Just purchased a set of pure binax’s (like them a lot so far but in some conditions, a dedicated mic still may be necessary for my needs) + easytek and looking to save $ on having to buy a dedicated microphone setup if I can use my iphone instead. Thanks!

I have been using the Pure 7bx for 4 days now and I have mixed feelings so far! I used the Oticon Epoq for six years before, and when time came to replace them, I thought go to the higher end HAs. I did read alot and the Pure 7bx had great reviews and great options that I was looking for. I will start with the good things: I’m hearing much better the soft conversations, where in the past I couldn’t hear a word. Also the performance in noisy places is outstanding. I was with my wife in a restaurant and flipped the HAs to the Noise program which the audiologist programmed, and it was amazing, how all the noise and conversations around us got masked (not fully of course) but my wife’s voice was clear. It is weird experience for the 1st time.

now to the bad stuff, and I’m not sure, if some of the issues are caused by the programming, or because of my hearing loss ( I had Stapedectomy done on both my ears).

Wind noise reduction: not sure what reduction they are talking about! I didn’t feel any difference between the Oticon Epoq and the Siemens Pure bx, it is even more noisy with the Pure 7bx because it is louder.

Feedback noise: I still hear the feedback whistling and it is louder now, but it is there.

Electronic noise: every time I go to the washroom at work, I start getting annoying static noise, because of electronic interference with the fire monitoring device in the ceiling!

some noises are extremely loud and very uncomfortable! for example: crumpling paper, ripping paper, going through the plastic bags in the freezer.

when streaming the phone or music through the easytek, it is not that loud for me but people around me can hear it!

Did any one experience such issues or do you have any idea or suggestions?

@jffkm said:

Does anyone know if Apple Live Listen can work with the siemens EasyTek bluetooth streamer? The support document and pages are sparse and tech support at Siemens surprisingly does not know. Just purchased a set of pure binax’s (like them a lot so far but in some conditions, a dedicated mic still may be necessary for my needs) + easytek and looking to save $ on having to buy a dedicated microphone setup if I can use my iphone instead. Thanks!

I am afraid not, the Easytek does not integrate as a made for iphone hearing aid device…it acts like a normal bluetooth device (with the back channel to control the programs of the aides)